Time card rack



June E4, 1955 a. H. KRESS ETAL 2,710,473

TIME CARD RACK Filed May 25,, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS GEORGE H. KRESS 'CARL W. SUNDBERG Aaslvr June 14, 1955 G, H. KRESS ETAL TIME CARD RACK 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 25, 1954 FIG. 3.

INVENTOR. GEORGE H. KRESS CARL W. SUNDBERG AGE/V T United States TIME CARD RACK Application May 25, .1954, Serial No. 432,197

4 Claims. (Cl. 40-424) This invention relates in general to card racks and more particularly to racks for holding workmens time cards and the like.

In order to simplify the collection of time cards in some of the larger work areas, card racks have been provided which include manually operable card-release means which are adapted to simultaneously drop all cards from a rack containing many rows of compartments to troughs at the base of the rack. The cards are usually arranged in a predetermined order in a vertical row of compartments and when released they will drop into the trough at the base of the rack in the same predetermined order.

Thepresent invention is directed toward improvements in the construction and operation of this type of eject card rack. The illustrative embodiment of the invention comprises a plurality of individual pocket-forming plate members inserted in an auxiliary frame unit, said plate members being formed to extend downwardly and inwardly toward the backplate of the card rack. The base of each plate member has a flange portion which fits into a corresponding groove in the backplate of the card rack to form the closed bottom of a card pocket. The auxiliary frame unit is hinged at the top to stationary side plates of the rack and as such said unit may be swung outward from a closed position to move the plate members out and away from said grooves, thereby allowing all time cards to drop into a trough at the base of the card rack.

Accordingly, the main object of the present invention is to provide an improved time card rack combined with improved card-release means for transferring the cards from individual pockets to a trough at the base of the rack.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a card rack as in the preceding object which includes an improved flexible pocket-forming structure.

Other objects of the invention will be pointed out in the following description and claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which disclose, by way of examples, the principle of the invention and the best mode, which has been contemplated, of applying that principle.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a front elevation view of a time card rack embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion of the card rack showing the construction of the pocketforming members and their mode of assembly in the rack.

Fig. 3 is a left side elevation view of the card rack shown partially in section to show how the cards are retained in the card rack when the card-release means is in a closed position.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing how the cards are transferred to the trough when the card-release means is in an open position.

The main frame of the card rack comprises two formed side plates 10 having a backplate 11 and a bottom trough portion 12. Backplate 11 has a plurality of horizontal atent grooves 13 formed therein which coact with pocket-forming plate members in a manner to be described. The main frame forms a box-like structure of sufiicient depth to receive an auxiliary frame unit as shown in Fig. 2.

The auxiliary frame unit comprises a pair of side plates 14 which are respectively pivoted at the top to the side plates 10 of the main frame unit by means of bolts 15. Each side plate 14 carries a pin 17 which rides in guide slots 18 in the side plates 10 of the main frame. It can be readily understood that the frame units have been assembled so that the auxiliary frame unit may be pivoted into and out of the main frame unit as depicted in Figs. 3 and 4. The auxiliary frame unit may be locked in a closed position inside of the main frame unit, as shown in Fig. 3, by operating a key 19 and lock 20. The lock 20 is the conventional barrel type and is fastened to the front of a pocket-forming support bracket 21 which has a turned over bottom flange 16. A lock lug 22 cooperates with a slot 23 (Fig. 1) in one of the side plates 10 of the main frame unit to carry out a locking or an unlocking operation.

In keeping with the spirit of the invention the frame units just described have been so constructed as to provide a simple and effective manually operable means for positioning pocket-forming plate members assembled in the auxiliary frame unit into either a card retaining position or a card dropping position relative to the backplate 11 of the main frame unit. The side plates 14 (Fig. 2) of the auxiliary frame unit have their vertical edges turned inward, as indicated at 24, to provide channels into Which the pocket-forming plate members can be inserted.

Referring to Fig. 2, the pocket-forming member is preferably a unitary member, and as shown comprises a main plate portion 25 the face of which may be considered at an angle to the vertical. Side portions 26 are made integrally with the plate 25. These side portions 26 are enlarged adjacent their upper ends as at 27, and each side portion 27 has an edge portion which may be considered vertical and which is bent outwardly to form a vertical U- shaped channel portion as at 28. The side portions 26 are also enlarged adjacent their lower ends as at 29, and each side portion 29 is bent first outwardly, then parallel to the face of side portions 26 and then inwardly to form an L-shaped channel portion. The edge 29a of the L- shaped channel portion may be considered vertical.

Each pocket-forming member thus comprises two U- shaped channel portions having at least one vertical edge and two L-shaped channel portions having at least one vertical edge and a pocket-forming plate which is inclined to the edges just mentioned. It will also be noted that the top and bottom edges of the pocket-forming plate have been formed into rounded flange portions as indicated at 30 and 31 respectively. The pocket-forming support bracket 21 (Fig. 3) is also provided with the channel portions and inclined pocket-forming plate described above. In addition, the pocket-forming plate has been extended to form the bracket 21 which is adapted to support the lock mechanism previously described.

The insertion of the pocket-forming members to form a card rack is easily accomplished by press fitting the channel portions 28, 29 of the pocket-forming members into the channels 24 formed by the side plates 14 of the auxiliary frame unit with the main plate portions 25 inclined forwardly as shown in Fig. 2, so that the lower flanges 31 are adjacent to the backplate 11 of the main frame unit. The pocket-forming support bracket 21 would be inserted first and located at the bottom and then the remaining pocket-forming members are put into place with the enlarged side portions 27 of each member positioned on the enlarged side portions of the next pocketforming member below. The press fit between the channel portions 28, 29 and the channels 24 is suflicient to Patented June 14, 1955 3 make each pocket-forming member self-supporting in the auxiliary frame unit.

Referring to Fig. 3, with each pocket-forming member put in place and the auxiliary frame unit pivoted into closed position inside of the main frame it can be seen that the lower flanges 31 will seat into the grooves 13 in the backplate 11 to form the individual closed card pockets in which the cards C may be retained as shown. A suitable cap or cover 32 (Fig. 1) may be inserted at the top of the auxiliary frame unit to complete the card rack assembly.

All of the cards C may be ejected into the trough 12 at the base of the rack simply by manually pivoting the auxiliary frame unit out of the main frame unit as shown in Fig. 4. Such action unseats the flange portions 31 from the grooves 13 thus opening the individual card pockets and allowing the cards to slide off the pocketforming plate members 25 and drop through the main frame unit into the trough 12.

The successive relative overlapping of the pocket-forming members insures the maintenance of the predetermined order of the cards in the trough. The card from the bottom pocket will be in front and the card from the top pocket will be at the back and the other cards in order therebetween.

Of course, pivoting the auxiliary frame unit back to a closed position inside of the main frame unit places the card rack in condition to receive another group of cards.

While there have been shown and described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a preferred embodiment, it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the device illustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in the art, with out departing from the spirit of the invention. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A time card rack including in combination, a main frame unit having a backplatc, a trough at the bottom of said main frame unit, a substantially vertical row of pocket-forming members inclined forwardly from the rack, means for normaliy supporting said pocketforming members with the lower extremities of said members in contact with said backplate to form card retaining pockets, and means for moving said pocket-forming member support means to break said contact thereby opening said pockets to permit cards to drop through the main frame unit into said trough.

2. A time card rack as defined in claim 1 wherein said support means comprises an auxiliary frame unit pivoted at its upper end Within said main frame unit.

3. A time card rack as defined in claim 2 wherein said auxiliary frame unit includes channeled portions and said poclzet forming members include channeled portions which are adapted for insertion into said channeled portions of the auxiliary frame unit.

4. A time card rack including in combination, a main frame unit having a bacltplate with a vertical row of depressions formed thereon, a trough at the bottom of said main frame unit, an auxiliary frame unit pivoted within said main frame unit, a substantially vertical row of pocket-forming members on said auxiliary frame unit, said pocket-forming members being inclined forwardly from the rack and having bottom portions which normally extend into said depressions to form card retaining pockets with said backpiate, and means for pivoting said auxiliary frame unit out of said main frame unit thereby opening said pockets to permit cards to drop through the main frame unit into said trough.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,335,822 Crook Apr. 6. 1920 1,525,318 Payzant Feb. 3, 1925 1,640,971 Widen Aug. 30, 1927 

